Fire escape



July 21, 1925. I 1,546,771 R. WOOD FIRE ESCAPE Filed May 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Skeet 1 July 21, 1925. I 1,546,771

R. WOOD FIRE ESCAPE Filed May 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gmeptoo Patented July 21, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT WOOD,OF SHERIDAN, WYOMING.

. FIRE ESCAPE;

Application filed May 13, 1924. Serial No. 713,065.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT WOOD, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Sheridan, in the county of Sheridan and State of yoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Escapes, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw- This invention relatesto fire escapes, and particularly to that class of fire escape in which there is provided a drum over which a flexible connection is normally wound, which flexible connection carries a belt, there being a spring resisting the movement of the drum to unwind the belt, and a con troller limiting the speed of unwinding of the drum.

The general object of this invention is to provide a very effective and simple fire escape .of this type wherein means is provided for rotating the drum in a reverse direction after the flexible'connection has been unwound so as to cause the drum to wind up the flexible connection and permit the use of the fire escape by a second person.

A. further object is to provide improved means for controlling or "governing the speed of winding up and unwinding of the drum, and to provide in this connection one means whereby the speed of unwinding may be controlled and another means whereby the speed of winding up may be controlled.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the casing of a fire escape and through the controllers; V

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detail elevation of the plate 30, showing. the ratchet and pawl;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 1 is a like viewto Figure but showing the manner in which the centrifugal governor actuates to throw the brake band out in contact with the brake drum;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Figure 1; T

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation showing the spring gear wheel and the pinion coacting therewith.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a rectangular frame or boX which may beattached to a window sill or disposed adjacent the window or in any other position 011 a building where a fire escape may be necessary. Mounted in this frame is a rotatable shaft 11 which carries upon it a drum 12 around which a steel band 13 is disposed. To the lower end of this band 13 is attached a chain 14:, to which a like belt is fastened, this belt being adapted to pass around the waist of the user.

The frame 10 is provided with the cross pieces 15 which are spaced from each other and from the ends of the frame and disposed to one side of the band wheel 12 and mounted upon a shaft 16, in turn mounted between these pieces 15 is a coiled spring 17, one end of this spring being fixed to the shaft, which shaft is held from rotation, the other end of the spring being fixed to a gear wheel 18. This toothed wheel engages a pinion 19 mounted upon the shaft ll'and rotating with this shaft. Thus it will be obvious that as the shaft 11 rotates in one direction, the spring 17 will be un-' wound and as the shaft rotates in the other direction the spring 17 will be wound up.

Mounted upon the shaft 11 adjacent the spring 17 is a speed controller which consists of an outer casing 20 having lugs 21 whereby it may be attached to the frame 10 and held from movement. Disposed at one end ofthis casing and mounted upon the shaft 11 for rotation therewith. is a steel plate 22, and mounted upon this plate by means of a short shaft 23 is a weighted arm 24 which constitutes the governor and which is disposed to one side of. the shaft 11. This arm at one end is sector-shaped and provided with the teeth 25. Also mounted upon the plate by means of a pin 26 is a steel brake band 27 which is resilient, the brake band being normally slightly eccentric to the curved outer casing 20 and having at its free end a semi-circular sector or gear 28 which meshes with the teeth 25.

Now if the speed of the drum 12 when the band 13 is being unwound becomes too great, the governor 24 will be thrown outward and as it is thrown outward the teeth 25 will act upon the eccentric gear 28 to shift the brake band 27 against the interior face of the brake drum 20. The confronting faces of the brake band and of the drum may be covered with braking material, such as asbestos or material of, this character or such material as is used on automobile brakes, and I do not wish to be limited to this. the brake drum will, of course, tend'to lessen the speed and as soon as the speed is lessened to a degree which will permit the inward movement of the governor under the resilient action of the brake band, the governor will move inward, the brake band will move down from the drum, and the friction will be reduced so as to permit the speed to be increased.

It will be seen that this controller causes an. even descent of the person attached to the band 13 and this controller is preferably so arranged that this descent is at a sgeed about equal to that of a person walking downstairs so that the person descending will not strike the ground with any such force as will tend to injure him.

When he has reached the ground, the person who has descended unhooks the belt from around his waist and then the spring 17 acts to rewind the drum 12 and cause the retraction of the band 13. This reverse speed of the drum or band wheel 12 is controlled by a controller whose outer casing is designated 29, this controller being supported loosely upon the shaft 11. A plate 30 is disposed at one end of the controller, this plate carrying upon it a governor 31 of exactly the same form as the governor 24 and engaging a sector 32 mounted upon a brake band 33. The plate 30 has mounted on it the outwardly projecting pin earry ing a pawl which engages with a ratchet 36, this ratchet having teeth turned in such. a direction that the movement of the plate :10 with the drum 12 as it unwinds will cause the pawl 35 to engage the ratchet teeth and cause the ratchet wheel and the shaft 11 to turn in the samedirection as the drum 12, but a rotation of the shaft 11 and of the ratchet 36 and the drum 12 in an unwinding direction will cause the pawl 35 to ride over the ratchet teeth 36. Thus it will be obvious that the controller enclosed within the drum 29 is idle when the band 13 on the drum 12 is being unwound, but the minute the band is released, however, and the spring 11 acts to return the hand, then the rotation of the ratchet wheel 36 will act to rotate the plate 30 and the governor within the drum casing 29 will proceed to control the rewinding movement of the spring 17.

In use, the metal frame or box 10 within The contact of the brake band with which the mechanism is mounted or within which it is enclosed is placed in any window or door and at any desired height, depending upon the length of the metal belt 13 and the spring 17. l Vhen it is desired to use the fire escape, a like belt is passed around the waist of the person, as before remarked, and fastened to the metal belt. The speed at which the person is lowered is regulated by the governor 14, as before stated, and is about equal to the rate at which a person can walk down a stairway. The belt is unhooked on reaching the ground and the apparatus will return automatically to its initial position, the return speed 'be ing also governed by the governor mechanism enclosed within the drum 29 to thus prevent jammin The device is simple and has been found thoroughly effective in actual practice.

I claim 1. A fire escape of the character described comprising a supporting frame, a shaft rotabl y mounted therein, a drum carried by the shaft, a flexible member carried by the drum and normally wound thereupon, a counter-shaft, a spring surrounding he countershaft and connected at one end thereto, a gear wheel to which the other end of the spring is connected, a gear wheel on the shaft engaging the last named gear wheel, a speed controller operating upon the shaft to control the movement of the shaft in a direction to unwind the flexible connection from the drum, and a separate speed controller acting to control the speed of the shaft when it is being rotated in the opposite direction under the action of the spring.

' 2. A fire escape of the character described comprising a supporting frame, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, a drum carried by the shaft, a flexible member carried by the drum and normally wound thereupon, a countershaft, a spring surrounding the counter-shaft and connected at one end thereto, a gear wheel to which the other end of the spring is connected, a gear wheel on the shaft engaging the last named gear wheel, a speed controller operating upon the shaft to control the movement of the shaft in a direction to unwind the flexible connection from the drum, a separate speed controller acting to control the speed of the shaft when it is being rotated in the opposite direction under the action of the spring, said last named speed controller con'iprising a brake drum mounted upon the first named drum for rotation therewith and with the shaft, a plate loosely mountec upon the shaft and disposed at one end of the brake drum and having an inwardly extending pin, a brake band mounted upon the pin at one end, a concentrically actuated governor mounted upon said plate and operatively engaging the free end of the brake band to shift the brake band toward the drum an outwardly projecting pin on the plate carrying a pawl, and a ratchet wheel mounted upon the shaft and with which said pawl is adapted to engage upon a movement of the shaft in a direction to Wind up the flexible connection,

opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

ROBERT WOOD. 

